Orpheus Choir Music Director Brent Stewart announced at the concert's beginning that the evening's performances were dedicated by the choir to the memory of Professor Peter Godfrey, who had died a couple of days previously on September 28th. Regarded by many as the"father" of New Zealand choral music, Godfrey was closely associated with both Wellington Cathedral as Director of Music during the years 1983-89, and with the Orpheus Choir... read more

If you didn't hear Kim Hill on RNZ Saturday on 23 September, go and listen to the online archive now. A poignant interview with Douglas Wright, New Zealand's most compelling dancer / choreographer, is to be found there ... as humane and considered a conversation about art as practised and life as lived that you could hope to find.
Alongside it sits Hill's interview with Wu Man, the world's leading... read more

The lunchtime concert market has been somewhat crowded over recent weeks and both St Andrew’s and Old Saint Paul’s have provided nice venues and good audiences for end-of-year recitals. While we’ve covered most of the recent lunchtime concerts in Wellington we have been unable this year to get to the series running at St Mark’s Lower Hutt, which have been equally worthwhile.
Four pianists played today at St Andrew’s. They... read more

End of year public recitals by New Zealand School of Music students continued, today with woodwind players. If I had been uninterested in hearing the NZSO and Freddy Kempf last Saturday playing single movements of major piano concertos (though I gather it was well-patronised), this was different. Because one was not laying out a substantial ticket price for the rather frustrating experience of being left in mid-air in Mozart... read more

This was the New York-based ensemble Imani Winds' first concert in New Zealand as part of a 10-venue tour organised by CMNZ. Every member of the group during their introductions for each of the concert's items conveyed considerable pleasure and excitement at being part of this inaugural visit by the ensemble to New Zealand. They've come with something of a reputation for being innovative and adventurous in their programming... read more

This was the first concert in an eleven-centre tour by Wilma and Friends – two of the friends are New Zealanders: Alexandra Partridge from the Kapiti Coast and Andrew Leathwick who studied at the University of Waikato, both of whom have since studied at the Australian Academy of Music in Melbourne. It is always a great pleasure to welcome home violinist Wilma Smith, and to hear her winsome tones... read more

One might have considered this an unorthodox programme, starting with a well-known Mozart symphony, ending with Prokofiev’s delightful Lieutenent Kije Suite and in between, songs by Mussorgsky and two jazz standards.
The Mozart symphony is known as the 'Little G minor' Symphony to distinguish it from the big one, No 40. But it became easier to distinguish after its arresting opening was used as the introduction to the fictitious, misleading... read more

A rather small audience enjoyed a ‘Bach sandwich’ as the artists described it. The opening work, played by viola and organ immediately impressed with the euphonious tone of the viola, which one so seldom hears played solo, or with simply an accompaniment. Flute tones from the organ were a sufficient contrast to allow the viola to really speak with its own voice. It was described by the person introducing... read more

Lucky we were to attend this lunchtime concert at New Zealand School of Music. It was luminous in several respects.
Firstly the choice of programme – three works, by Schubert, Hindemith and Debussy.
… with pithy and pertinent verbal introductions by Hamish Robb before each piece. Not every musician has this gift of communication, to wear his learning lightly in talking about composition in a way that makes audience feel drawn in... read more

We are at that time of the year, when music students are welcomed at St Andrew’s to given them some public exposure in connection with their end-of-year assessments. Here we heard six students at varying stages of their studies. Most of them had been seen in the past year or so in the school’s and other opera productions, particularly in the recent Cunning Little Vixen which had such a... read more